Memories
by Sailor Memory
Summary: At the yearly Christmas Ball, Neo-Queen Serenity is attacked by a new enemy. While escaping, she is struck on the head, causing amesia. Darien, Rini, and the Scouts try to help her regain her memories, but it may be the written word that will help most
1. Lost in Darkness

Title: Memories  
Chapter: 1  
Originally chapters: 1,2,3,4, part of 5  
  
Standard Disclaimers apply.  
**********  
  
"Darien, that wasn't funny!"  
  
Laughing, Darien took a step away from his wife. As they'd prepared to leave for the Christmas Party, he'd secretly blown a balloon and let it go next to her ear, producing a rather loud noise.  
  
Scowling playfully, Serenity stalked toward him. He kept moving away from her, but eventually she caught him. There was the sound of laughter coming from their room.  
  
Mina shook her head. You'd think they were newlyweds, not two people who'd been married for over two hundred years and had a seven year-old daughter, she thought with a smile, despite herself.  
  
After a few minutes, Serenity and Darien came out to the carriage, joining the Sailor Scouts and their daughter, Rini. Wrapping themselves in their wool coats, they stepped into the carriage and settled in for the ride.  
  
"Mama, did you make sure that there are enough presents for everyone at the party," Rini asked worriedly.   
  
Serenity smiled. Rini worried about this every year. She replied assuredly, "Yes Rini. There are plenty presents."  
  
Convinced, Rini leaned back into her mother's embrace. For the rest of the ride, there was an excited silence. Everyone was trying to get someone to spit out what they were getting everyone for Christmas.   
  
When they arrived at the Christmas Ball, the people had already arrived, eagerly awaiting their Royal Family. When Serenity stepped off the carriage with the help of Darien, a loud cheer went up. Smiling, they made their way inside.   
  
On the first Christmas Ball of Serenity's reign, the people insisted that the first dance go to the Royal Family and the Sailor Scouts. So while her parents and guardians danced, Rini would play queen and be doted on by some of the citizens, who loved her just as much as they loved her mother and father.  
  
After about an hour of dancing, Serenity and Darien made their way back to their seats, Darien pulling his daughter into his lap as he sat down. Suddenly someone in the crowd struck up the Christmas carol "Jingle Bells". Everyone quickly joined in, including the King and Queen.  
  
Suddenly there was a loud crash on the ballroom floor. Serenity and Darien stood up, shoving Rini behind them in the process.   
  
"Ha ha! Celebrating Christmas! What a waist of time," said the young man standing there.  
  
"Who," demanded Serenity, "are you and why are you disrupting our party?"  
  
"Ah, Neo-Queen Serenity," he spoke in a slimy sweet voice, "your beauty has not been exaggerated I see. I am Quartzite, Prince of the planet Quartz. I have come to claim this planet as our own, including the Queen."  
  
"Not while we're here," came a chorus of voices from behind him.  
  
He looked at the Sailor Scouts in contempt, "Do you seriously think you can defeat me?"  
  
"We're seriously gonna try," shouted Sailor Jupiter, "Jupiter... Oak...  
EVOLUTION!"  
  
Quartzite easily dodged the attack, laughing, and said, "If you think you can defeat me that easily, then you had better think twice, "two black knives formed in his hands and he shouted," Black... Quartz... Knives... STRIKE!"  
  
Everyone managed to dodge the knives except for Jupiter, who wasn't expecting them. Still, she managed to get away with only a few cuts and scrapes.  
  
Darien turned to Serenity, "Serena, you and Rini get out of here while I help the Scouts."  
  
Serenity raised her eyebrows at him and said, "I didn't spend all those years as Sailor Moon for nothing, Darien," she turned to Rini and merely held out her hand.  
  
Nodding, she took it and a bright light surrounded the two of them. When the light faded, there stood Sailor Moon in an all white sailor suit, while Rini's was red, white, and green.  
  
The two started towards the battling group, with Tuxedo Mask following them. Quietly, they told the civilians to move out of the building.  
  
"Hey, Quartzite," Sailor Moon shouted, "You have interrupted our party and that has really ticked me off. In the name of Christmas, I will make you pay."  
  
Chibi Moon continued, "You have disrupted a time that is scared to our people, and for that you must pay."  
  
The two together finished, "In the name of the Moon, we shall punish you."  
  
Quartzite sneered, "Not likely Moonbrats," he tried to throw an attack at the two, but it was blocked by one of Tuxedo Mask's roses.  
  
Sailor Chibi Moon brought out a whip of gold Christmas lights and cried, "Christmas... Lights... SHINE!"  
  
Sailor Moon finished the job by shouting, "Oh, great power of Christmas, please grant me your strength to defeat the one who would disrupt your time of the year. Christmas... Love... EVADE!"  
  
Once the light cleared, Quartzite was standing there, obviously wounded, he snarled, "You when this round Sailor Simps, but next time you won't be so lucky. Sooner or later, Black Quartz will rule Earth with me as its King and Neo-Queen Serenity as its Queen. Remember that."  
  
With that he threw a black bolt of energy at the support beams and disappeared. A moment after that, the ceiling began to crumble.  
  
Sailor Moon screamed, "Everyone out, the building is about to collapse!"  
  
Everyone began to run toward the door. Before anyone could act, a piece of the ceiling fell right towards Sailor Chibi Moon. Thinking quickly, Sailor Moon shoved her daughter out of the way.   
  
As she saw it loom closer, she thought, goodbye Darien, Rini, everyone, I love you all and I will soon be joining my mother.   
  
Everything went black.  
  
No one noticed the black gust of wind enter her as she breathed.   
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
The Sailor Scouts were shocked to see the broken body of Sailor Moon lying in Sailor Uranus's arms. None of them had ever seen her in such bad shape. Her head had a large cut, matting her beautiful hair with blood, her ankle was twisted in an unnatural angle, clearly broken.  
  
Saturn and Mercury rushed to her and began to feel her pulse. Mercury's eyes widened as she felt her queen's weakening pulse. She whispered, "We have to get her back to the palace right away!"  
  
Tuxedo Mask picked up his wife and took the shortest route to the palace with Saturn and Mercury. Mars and Neptune followed them just in case they were attacked in route. That left Rini and the other Scouts to calm the people down.  
  
  
What's taking them so long, Darien thought desperately, they've been in there forever.  
  
At least, that is what it felt like. Rini and the other Scouts had arrived fifteen minutes after they had, which was only two hours ago.  
  
At that moment, a very tired Amy and Hotaru came out of the operation room. Everyone had questions for them about Serenity.  
  
"She has amnesia, guys," Amy said bluntly.   
  
For a moment, everyone was silent. Then Rini asked, confused, "What's amnesia?"  
  
"Amnesia is what happens when someone can't remember their life," Mina said.  
  
"So, Mama can't remember anything?"  
  
"Mmhmm."  
  
"What's strange is," Amy said thoughtfully, "that there wasn't any damage done to her memory when the ceiling came down on her. When we scanned her brain, we found some sort of force field around the memory centers of her brain."  
  
Darien said slowly, "So somehow she was given artificial amnesia."  
  
Suddenly, Rini's forehead began to flash and a faint crescent moon began to appear. She screamed, "Mama!"  
  
Without a moment's hesitation, Darien dashed into the emergency room. Standing above his wife's still form, was some sort of monster. It took out a menacing looking dagger and started to place it at her unprotected throat.   
  
"NOOO!" Darien shrieked. He threw his sword at the monster. It cried out in pain when it struck its heart. After whimpering for a moment, it disintegrated.   
  
Darien, followed by the others, rushed over to Serenity and looked to see if she had been harmed in any way. As Amy checked her over, Serenity's eyes slowly opened. When Darien saw this he tried to take her hand, as did Rini.   
  
Much to their surprise, Serenity snatched her hand away and curled up in a ball in a corner, whimpering.  
  
Shocked, Hotaru and Amy pushed the Scouts, Darien, and Rini away from Serenity.  
  
"Amy, you were right, she really doesn't remember any of us," Lita said, totally surprised.  
  
"Guys, give her time. She didn't expect to see nine faces in her face when she first opened her eyes."  
  
Over the next few days, the entire group, including those Serenity knew well in court, tried to approach her. When ever Darien, Rini, Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus, and some of the heads of state tried to talk to her, she merely whimpered, pulled the covers closer, and moved away from them.  
  
Still, when Neptune, Saturn, and Mars walked slowly over to her, Serenity seemed to hesitate, then held out her hand to them. Instead of talking to her, they merely stood there, holding her hand gently.  
  
"But why us," Nerissa asked confusedly, "the Sailors that she's closest to are Pluto, Mercury, and Uranus. Since Pluto isn't here, it should only be you two."  
  
"Maybe," Corrin said thoughtfully, "it's because you three weren't exactly close for a long time. You've only begun to get along just recently. And you Hotaru, have healing powers. Perhaps she senses that you can help her."  
  
"You could be right Corrine," Hotaru answered thoughtfully.  
  
Amy said quickly, "Well, perhaps you three should spend a lot of time with her, the rest of us can cover your duties. Serenity reacts to only you three, so it should only be you guys."  
  
"Right," Raye, Hotaru, and Nerissa said at once.  
  
After that discussion, everyone went back to work. Rini and Darien worked on keeping the Royal Court and the people calm, Mercury covered Hotaru's duties as the other Palace Healer, Uranus worked on not only as the Palace Chief of Security, but took over Neptune's duties as the monarch's advisor. Venus did her best to help out at the Temple of Mars, while trying to keep up with her duties as the other Palace advisor, and Jupiter went back to work as the Head Cook in the Crystal Palace, while trying to keep everyone's, especially Darien's and Rini's, sprits alive. Despite her efforts, Christmas was a somber occasion.   
  
Saturn, Mars, and Neptune wasted no time in moving Serenity back to her chambers, where things were more familiar. They quickly began to work on getting her familiar with doing the simple things, like eating and washing. Slowly Serenity began to respond.  
  
Two weeks after they'd begun, Neptune brought in Serenity's breakfast. Much to her surprise, Serenity was sitting up in bed, holding a picture in her hand.  
  
Neptune approached her quietly, saying, "Serenity, here's your breakfast."  
  
Serenity's head shot up. She stared at her for a moment and then looked at the picture. Without looking up, she gestured for her to sit down on the bed.  
  
Neptune sat the tray on the stand next to the bed and sat down. Serenity showed her the picture she was holding. It was the one taking on the 105th anniversary of Serenity's reign. Rini was only two years old, but in the picture. Neptune remembered that day...  
  
  
"Mummy, Daddy, will you tell me the story of Sailor Moon," Rini asked.  
  
Glancing at her husband with amusement, Serenity said, "We'll tell you tonight, my Small Lady."  
  
"Yay," Rini shouted.  
  
  
The memory faded and Neptune looked back at Serenity. Slowly, and with great difficulty, Serenity pointed at Neptune's face in the picture and said, "Ne...pt...une."  
  
If Serenity still wasn't in such a fragile state, Neptune would have thrown her arms around her arms around her and squeezed the life out of her. So she merely smiled and said, "Yes, that's me."  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Over the next week, Serenity began to make remarkable progress. Still, everyone worried about the queen. She would still only see Neptune, Saturn, and Mars, no one else. Darien was becoming distraught over the whole matter and had withdrawn from his duties as the King, leaving Venus to assume the throne until he returned.  
  
On a bright and sunny Wednesday afternoon, Mars and Neptune decided to take Serenity outside for the first time since her injuries. When they entered the queen's chambers, they were quite surprised.  
  
She was standing by the window, fully dressed but her hair was in Mina's style, not her usual meatball style. Still, they were happy to see her up all the same. One other strange thing that had bothered them all was that the beautiful crescent moon that usually adorned her forehead had disappeared.  
  
After about three hours outside, Mars thought it was time to take Serenity for some rest when a heavy wind started. In front of them, Quartzite appeared.  
  
He laughed evilly, "So the beautiful queen has lost her memories. Good, that will make things so much easier."  
  
Quartzite took a step toward Serenity, who had curled up behind some bushes, and was immediately attacked by Mars, "Mars... Flaming... SNIPER!"  
  
He easily dodged the attack and continued towards Serenity, who was now weeping.  
  
Desperately, Neptune tried to defend her friend, "Deep... SUBMERGE!"  
  
Quartzite blocked her attack as well, and snarled at them, "Meddlesome Sailor Scouts! I will have Queen Serenity as my queen, but first I will have to do away with the Sailor Guardians, King Darien, and that little brat Princess Rini. So I might as well start with you."  
  
The silent attack knocked the two weary scouts to the ground in front of Serenity. She stared at her fallen friends and just faintly, her crescent moon started to flash. She stood up and screamed, "I will not allow you to harm them anymore! Moon… Revenge… VAPORIZE!"  
  
Quartzite managed to avoid being killed in the blast, but was badly injured. He snarled at her, "Doesn't matter, my queen. Sooner or later, you will be mine." With that, he vanished in a puff of smoke.  
  
Staring at her friends, her crescent moon sent out one last flash and disappeared. Serenity promptly fell to the ground, unconscious. A few minutes later, the rest of the scouts arrived and took them to the emergency room.  
  
  
A few hours later, Mars and Neptune awoke. They took advantage of the time they had to talk to the others.  
  
"Yes," Neptune confirmed, "it was definitely Quartzite again. Still it's strange. He hasn't tried one before to kidnap the queen until she outside the palace."  
  
"Maybe the shield around the palace prevents him from entering the palace," Venus suggested.  
  
"Not to change the subject," Mars interjected, "but I have something on my mind. When Serenity talks to us, she calls us Neptune, Mars, and Saturn. Why doesn't she call us by our real names?"  
  
"Perhaps it's because she has no memory of our real names. Her memories of the Sailor Scouts could be resurfacing a little, causing her to call you that," Darien replied thoughtfully.  
  
At that moment, Amy came over to the gathered group, and said, "She'll be fine. She was just knocked out and is exhausted."  
  
"I'm positive that her crescent moon appeared just before I blacked out. Is her memory back," asked Neptune.  
  
Sadly, Amy shook her head, "her memories might have broken free of the shield around again, but it has completely encircled her memories again. We can move her back into her room as soon as she awakens."  
  
Serenity awoke at that moment. Weakly, she called out, "Saturn, Mars, Neptune, where are you?"  
  
The three dashed over to her, while the others hung back, out of Serenity's sight. There was no reason to upset her anymore than she already was.  
  
Mars instructed the others to go get some sleep while she helped her friend to bed. Once Serenity was into bed, Mars turned to go.  
  
"Mars," she called softly.  
  
She turned back to her and replied, "Yes my friend?"  
  
"Will you stay with me? I don't want to be alone."  
  
"Sure, just let me get a few things from my chambers."  
  
  
That night, Serenity had a rather unusual dream.  
  
"NO!" Serenity cried out, jerking up from her bed, drenched in sweat.   
  
Mars was at her side instantly, yelling, "Serenity what's wrong?"  
  
Tears streaming down her face, Serenity collapsed into Mars's arms, weeping. Quietly, Serenity told her about the dream. Just as softly, Mars told her to try to get a little more sleep.   
As her friend drifted off to sleep, Mars felt a combination of renewed grief, hope, and uncertainty.   
  
  
The next morning, Mars told the others what Serenity had told her. The look of pain became clear on everyone's faces when she'd finished, except for Rini, who was quite confused.  
  
"So this is how she must remember, in flashes and nightmares," Darien said, quite frustrated.  
  
"Remember what," Rini demanded, just as frustrated as her father.  
  
Everyone glanced at one another. They were not sure they were ready to tell their princess the story of the fall of the Moon Kingdom.  
  
Darien decided to take the responsibility, "Rini, I know that we haven't told you much about the Moon Kingdom. We barely remember anything except the final months ourselves. Well, it must be time to tell you what caused the downfall of such a great kingdom. Are you willing to listen without interrupting?"  
  
Rini nodded solemnly.   
  
"Like you mom, I had four guardians. Their names were Jedite, Nephlite, Zoisite, and Kunzite. The four of them ended up falling in love with the Scouts. Jedite fell for Mars, Nephrite fell for Jupiter, Zoisite nearly dropped dead at the sight of Mercury, and Kunzite and Venus fell for each other. Anyway, you've probably figured that I fell head over heels in love with your mom. We were all quite happy for about a month, especially your grandmother. When she'd invited us to her kingdom, she'd had hopes that we'd fall for each other. Anyway, Queen Beryl knew that she wouldn't have a chance of defeating the Solar System without the help of our guardians. So first, she kidnapped Zoisite, then Nephrite, Jedite followed, and then finally Kunzite fell, after putting up a heck of a fight.   
  
By the time Darien had finished his long tale, everyone was crying, including himself. The Sailors were crying for their lost lives and loves, Darien cried merely at the memory.   
  
"Well," Saturn interrupted, "I'll take the night watch tonight so Mars can get some real sleep."  
  
"Thanks, Hotaru," Mars said gratefully.  
  
"What are friends for?"  
  
  
For the next three nights, Serenity continued to have the same dream. Each night, she woke up screaming and crying.   
  
"I'm getting worried about her," Neptune said to Mercury, "she's starting to get scared to go to sleep. I had a really hard time trying to get her to fall asleep last night."  
  
"Well, maybe I can give her something to help her fall asleep," Mercury replied thoughtfully.  
  
  
On the fourth night, Mars and Mercury came into the queen's chambers. Mercury stood at the door while Mars went over to the queen, who was staring at the picture again.  
  
"Serenity, that is Sailor Mercury. Neptune, Saturn, and I have something important to do tonight, so do you mind if she stays with you for tonight?"  
  
Serenity, who was not as afraid of the other scouts as before, just nodded.  
  
Smiling, Mars nodded to Mercury and left the room.  
  
Building up her courage, Mercury walked over to her friend's bed.  
  
Smiling at Mercury, Serenity quietly said to her, "Well, I've identified someone else in this picture."  
  
For the next hour, Mercury told the Queen everything about herself. When Serenity fell asleep she had the same dream, except this time, she saw more than she normally did.  
  
Serenity awoke with a start, but she didn't scream like she had done the past few nights. Staring at Mercury, who was asleep on the couch, she realized that she was one of that princess's guardians. But what ever happened to that princess, she thought, and why do they seem to want to protect me? Serenity pondered this question until she fell asleep once again.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Quartzite sat upon his throne, motionless, watching a hologram of Neo-Queen Serenity. Why, thought Nephlite, can't he see that she doesn't love him? I mean, she nearly killed him twice.  
  
'Probably because the fool is in love,' Kunzite's thoughts entered his, 'is it me, or have our leaders in the past two thousand years have either fallen in love with that Moontwit, or that idiot, Darien?'  
  
'What do you mean?'  
  
'Well, Queen Beryl fell for Darien, Prince Diamond fell for Serenity.'  
  
'Kunzite is right, came Jedite's voice, Queen Beryl was a witch who couldn't hurt a fly if she wanted to, and Prince Diamond was a love-sick fool!'  
  
'For once, I agree with Jedite,' came the raspy voice of Zoisite.  
  
'Since we are all in agreement, perhaps we should be willing to over throw Quartzite if he gets out of hand with his feelings for Serenity,' wheezed Jedite.  
  
'Agreed,' said all their voices.  
  
  
They all went their separate ways. Nephlite went to his computer room, Jedite and Zoisite went to the control room, and Kunzite went back to his room.  
  
When Kunzite returned to his chambers, he turned on the holograms of the royal family and their guardians.  
  
King Darien was known for being a wise and just ruler to his people, just as wise as his wife is.   
Strange, he smirked, that the Queen is so wise when you'd seen her for years as a whiny and klutzy crybaby.   
  
Next came Serenity herself. I can see why the King adores her so much, since she is quite beautiful. Perhaps there is good reason why Quartzite is in love with her.  
  
After her, came Rini, daughter of Darien and Serenity. She was known for having her mother's beauty and her father's quiet disposition.  
  
Then came the Outer Scouts in one picture. The one who had long, green hair was known as the Guardian of Time, Sailor Pluto. She could be seen as cold and distant, but had a soft spot for Princess Rini and Neo-Queen Serenity.   
  
Next to her was the beauty of the Outer Scouts, Sailor Neptune. She and the Queen hadn't gotten along well for years and only recently had they truly become friends.   
  
After her was Sailor Neptune's best friend, Sailor Uranus. One of the two best warriors of the entire group of Sailor Scouts, she could be a hard one to get rid of when it came down to a fight. Her two ultimate weaknesses were the lives of Sailor Neptune and Neo-Queen Serenity.  
  
The final Scout of the Outer Scouts was their leader, Sailor Saturn. Though the most powerful of all the Sailors, she was the one who was the most physically weak. As long as she didn't use her most powerful attack, the "Death Reborn Revolution", which was capable of destroying an entire planet, they were safe from her.  
  
Kunzite had a little information on the Outer Scouts. It seemed that when they were in the Silver Millennium, they had been responsible for keeping any outside threats from entering the system. When Beryl had started for the Moon, she had to go past them. The four Outers had taken out a large portion of the army before Beryl had released the Invincible Shadow upon them. It had killed them, but not before they had cut the shadow into the Seven Shadows.  
  
The next hologram was of the Inner Scouts. The first was Sailor Jupiter. She was known for being a tough Scout, but had a sweet disposition. She wouldn't be hard to take down.  
  
Next was Sailor Mercury. A beautiful flower, a major genius, but was another Scout who was physically weak, but not as bad as Sailor Saturn was.  
  
Following her, was Sailor Mars. Known by some as a hot head without any discipline. She always seemed to have a wall that kept people at a distance, except that only Neo-Queen Serenity was able to fully get through.   
  
The next Sailor Scout nearly made Kunzite faint. She was beautiful and exquisite. She was also the leader of the Inner Scouts and of all the scouts, with Sailor Saturn as her second in command. Like Sailor Uranus, she was one of the best warriors in the entire group. What is she doing to me, thought Kunzite as his heart constricted. I feel as if I know her. Kunzite sat up the rest of the night, pondering why he felt this way about Sailor Venus. He'd been in battle before with her and he'd always had a nagging feeling he'd known her, a long, long time ago.  
  
  
Jedite and Zoisite stood in the war room, analyzing for any structural weaknesses in Crystal Palace.   
  
Zoisite groaned, "Give it up Jedite, there's no weakness in that hunk of crystal. That's probably why they used the stuff to build the palace, it's seamless."   
  
Jedite sighed in defeat as well and muttered, "Why does the stuff we want have to be impossible to get?"  
  
"So that they're worth fighting for."  
  
Sighing once again, he turned on a hologram of the group that lived inside Crystal Palace. Starting from the right was Sailor Jupiter, then Sailor Uranus, then Sailor Neptune, Sailor Pluto, who only lived there part time, then came King Darien, then Neo-Queen Serenity, then Princess Rini holding their hands between them. After the queen came Sailor Venus, then Sailor Saturn, Sailor Mercury, and finally Sailor Mars.  
  
Jedite did a double take on Sailor Mars. With her knee long raven black hair and violet eyes, she was almost perfect, in his eyes. He glanced over at Zoisite and saw that he was practically drooling over Sailor Mercury.   
  
Shrugging it off, he turned back to the captivating Sailor Mars. Why did her eyes seem to stare right through his soul?   
  
In his private computer room, Nephlite went to work on studying the history of Earth, or more specifically, the Royal Family and their guardians.   
  
After hacking into the history files of the Earth Main Computer, he found the entire history of the Royal Family and the Sailor Scouts.  
  
They were originally from a time that was called the Silver Millennium, which took place over two thousand years ago.   
  
The Queen of the Moon, Queen Serenity, ruled the Silver Millennium. She had been married to King Apollo of the Sun. They'd eventually had a daughter, Princess Serenity, who became known as Serene. Several years later, they had a son named Terence.   
  
Throughout that very year, Princess's Serenity's guardians were born. First came the Princess of Venus, Serenity's cousin. Her mother had died trying to bring another princess into the world, but failed, killing the queen and princess. The King, being so distraught, ordered that she go to the Moon, to live with his sister.  
  
Next came Princess of Mars, a stunning raven- haired priestess. She was born with the famous Martian temper and used it well.  
  
Then, only a month after Mars was born, came the Princess of Mercury, Princess Amy, turned out to be a major genius. This ability caused incredible hate and contempt from the Mercurian Court.  
  
Then, finally came Lita, Princess of Jupiter. She'd almost immediately become a daddy's girl, and mommy's little angel. The King and Queen of Jupiter had almost given up on ever having a child when Queen Hera became pregnant with Lita.  
  
When the Princesses were ten, they went to the Moon to train to be Sailor Scouts, the guardians of Princess Serenity. Years before, Queen Serenity told Serene and Mina that they were cousins.   
  
After training for about seven years, Prince Endymion and his four guardians came to meet Princess Serenity and her guardians. Immediately, the Prince and Princess fell for each other, as did Zoisite and Amy, Nephrite and Lita, Jadeite and Raye, and Mina and Kunzite.   
  
After staying for at least two months, Queen Beryl and her minions began to harass the Silver Millennium. The combined efforts of the Princess, the Prince, and their guardians managed to keep them at bay.  
  
Queen Beryl must have realized that she could never take the Silver Millennium without help, so she kidnapped the Prince's four guardians and brainwashed them into fighting for her.  
  
When Beryl began to mover her army towards the Moon, she encountered the Outer Sailors Scouts, Sailors Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto. They were killed, but not until they'd taken out a large part of her army and cutting the Invincible Shadow into seven separate shadows.  
  
Soon, the Negaverse was able to destroy the Moon Kingdom, along with the four Sailor Scouts. A young servant, who knew how to fight quite well with a sword, took on Queen Beryl in an attempt to let Princess Serenity escape. The evil queen had stabbed the young girl, but in return had been stabbed by the girl. When Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion had found her, she'd said a small goodbye to them and died. While the two were grieving for their fallen friends, a youma had jumped out of hiding and killed Prince Endymion. In a fit of rage, Princess Serenity destroyed the youma and stabbed herself in the heart.  
  
With everyone gone, Queen Serenity called upon the power of the Silver Imperium Crystal to send everyone to the future. Even Beryl's army was given a new chance for life. The effort was enough to kill the Queen, but it had to be done.  
  
Nephlite looked up, confused. Why would Queen Serenity sacrifice her life for them, he thought, it's not like they deserved it. They weren't anyone important.   
  
Sighing, he looked at a picture of the Sailors. Immediately, his eyes were drawn to Sailor Jupiter, and they stayed there for the rest of the night.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
On a bright Saturday morning, Mercury awoke with the feeling that something bad was going to happened. Yet, when she checked on everything in the Palace, the only thing that was going on was that Neptune, Mars, and Saturn were going to bring Serenity to breakfast with the rest of them.  
  
Shrugging off the still nagging feeling, she went into the dinning room. Serenity, Mars, Neptune, and Saturn were the only ones there so far, so Mercury slowly approached them.  
  
"Good morning everyone," Mercury called to them.  
  
"Good morning to you Sailor Mercury," answered Serenity with a slight smile on her face.  
  
The five of them continued talking as the rest of the Scouts came in. Soon the only ones missing were Darien and Rini.   
  
When they came in, Darien's eyes seemed to light up at the sight of his wife at the table. Not noticing that, Serenity just smiled brilliantly at him and Rini.   
  
It was a pleasant breakfast, even if Darien and Rini didn't say much, they were to busy staring at Serenity, who was blissfully unaware.   
  
When they finished eating, Darien finally asked, "So what does everyone have planned for today?"  
  
"Library," everyone answered at once.  
  
"Well, that's a unusual," exclaimed Darien, "I'm going there as well!"  
  
"Well, why don't we all go together," suggested Amy.  
  
"Good idea Amy," said Serenity, "I've been meaning to get to know the rest of you, I just haven't had time lately. Sorry about that."  
  
Rini assured her, "It's alright Ma... Serenity."  
  
At that moment everyone was off to the Palace Library.  
  
  
When the large group arrived, as much everyone wanted to stay with Serenity, they were off to search for their particular interests. Rini went to the children's section, Darien went looking for a science fiction book, Corrine went to find some books on weapons, Nerissa went looking for books on music, Lita went looking for some new cookbooks, Raye went looking for some books on temples, Mina went looking for some steamy romance novels (heehee), and after Serenity assured them that she'd be fine on her own, Hotaru and Amy went in search of some medical texts on how to cure amnesia.   
  
Serenity stared at each sign and saw that if she wanted to be alone she'd have to go into the mythology section. She practically ran into it.  
  
After about five minutes, Serenity found an old and thinly worn book, one that looked like it was falling apart. Hmmm, she thought, an old thing like this shouldn't be in here. She pulled it off the shelf, along with a mouth full of dust.   
  
"Achoo!" Serenity yelled.  
  
After clearing her nasal passages, Serenity inspected the book. It was hardly visible, but on the spine, you could just make out the title, 'Silver Destiny.'  
  
Why do I have a suddenly have a feeling of déjà vu, she wondered. Listening to her instincts, she took the large book over to a table by the window and began to read.  
  
**********  
  



	2. Pages of the Past

...It is said, that nothing last's forever. Not hate, not revenge, not anything. Wrong. One thing that has lasted throughout the ages is the most beautiful thing in the world; love. Hello, I am the author of this story. This story is about unyielding and everlasting love. About the bounds of friendship and love between 10 people that will last forever. About how far the fighters of love and justice were willing to go to ensure peace and happiness, even at the cost of their own souls. This is the story of a Princess of the Moon, the Prince of Earth, his four guardians, and her four guardians.  
  
You see, I was there...  
  
  
It went on to tell how Prince Endymion, his four guardians, Kunzite, Jadeite, Nephlite, and Zoicite, Princess Serenity, her four guardians, Princess Mina, Princess Raye, Princess Lita, and Princess Amy grew up. It went on to tell of the many hardships they had to go through; like Prince Endymion losing his brother and father to a boating accident, Jedite losing his beloved sister to some creature they were never able to identify, Princess Serenity losing her father and brother to a shuttle accident, and Princess Mina losing her mother and new born sister to birthing problems.  
  
  
"Serene, my daughter, in one week, Prince Endymion of Earth and his guardians are coming for a visit and to train with you and the Sailors," informed Queen Serenity while the five of us sat around reading on that cold and rainy day.  
  
"Really," asked Serene with interest, "how long are they staying for?"  
  
"Three months."  
  
"My Queen," Raye asked with concern, "are you sure it is safe to let them come here, let alone come anywhere near Serene? After all, she is the only heir to the throne and humans are well known for being very violent and aggressive."  
  
Queen Serenity looked at her sadly, "Raye, I know of your feelings towards humans. But you cannot condemn an entire planet for the deeds of one."  
  
Raye bowed her head, but the Queen knew that she wouldn't let this go. Queen Serenity is like a surrogate mother to them all. She knows them all to well.  
  
After she left the library, Serene, Lita, and Mina started to speculate on whether the Prince and his guards would be cute or not. Amy looked at them with an absolutely blank look. Not surprising from their resident genius. For as long as they'd known her, her life is made up of protecting Serene, working on computers, books, and chess. Perhaps she shall change someday, or this visit from the humans would change her, Raye thought.  
  
Raye had no idea how right she was.  
  
  
As Queen Serenity had told them, Prince Endymion and his four guards arrived one week later and Serene, Mina, and Lita were a nervous wreaks. Amy and Raye had to calm them down or we knew that they would go hysterical. It was typical them.   
  
As they sat in the throne room waiting for them, Raye noticed that the Queen's hair was becoming grayer. When did that happen, she wondered curiously.   
  
She didn't have time to dwell on it, for at that moment, Prince Endymion and his guard were announced.  
  
Raye watched them with suspicion, looking for any weapon that could be used to kill the Queen or Princess from a long distance, for she knew that even though the Royal Guard wouldn't let them get near the Princess or Queen just yet, one could never be too careful. Suddenly, her eyes were transfixed by the guard with blond hair and blue eyes. Her eyes didn't leave his for the rest of the introductions.  
  
"Queen Serenity," announced the one with the black hair, "I am Prince Endymion, son of King Terran and Queen Gaea of Earth, the Prince of Earth. These are my four Guardian Generals in order of rank, General Kunzite, General Zoisite, General Jedite, and General Nephlite. We are pleased to come here at your invitation Your Highness."  
  
Queen Serenity smiled at the young man, she already liked him, Raye knew.   
  
Serene spoke with that sweet voice they all knew and loved, "I am Princess Serenity, daughter of Queen Serenity and King Harold of the Moon, the Princess of the Moon. These are my guardians in order of rank, Sailor Venus or Princess Mina, Princess Amy or Sailor Mercury, Princess Raye or Sailor Mars, and Princess Lita or Sailor Jupiter. We are pleased that you would honor us with your presence."  
  
Even though Raye's eyes were glued to his, General Jedite, she reached out with her senses and found no evil, and much to her surprise, no evil coming from the others. Not even the Prince. She only found extreme goodness. Unusual, for a human, she said in her mind.  
  
The Queen spoke, "Well, I'm sure that you would feel much more comfortable in getting to know each other if I were not around, so I will just go to my office if anyone needs me." Smiling once more at everyone, Queen Serenity left the room.  
  
  
The story described how slowly the two groups got to know one another and hesitantly fell in love. First Sailor Jupiter and General Nephlite, then Princess Serene and Prince Endymion, followed by General Zoisite and Sailor Mercury, and following their lieges example, Sailor Venus and General Kunzite. Though it took a lot of time and love, General Jedite finally won the heart of Sailor Mars. The group of ten was happy for about a month. Then the four Generals was taken by Queen Beryl. 'Why do these names sound so familiar,' wondered Serenity. Shrugging her shoulders, she continued to read.   
  
What worried them was that the four Generals had been brainwashed into thinking that their old friends were the enemy and they tried multiple times to kill them all.   
  
Finally, Queen Beryl formally declared war on Earth, causing Prince Endymion to be called back to Earth to help defend his planet.   
  
After several days of fighting Beryl formally declared war on the Moon., causing the Sailors to be on constant alert. After a month of defending the Moon, the final battle came...  
  
  
Serene looked out from her balcony, towards the battlefield. She knew that the people were safe, having been moved into the Palace for safety and knew that since the Palace was huge, there was no spacing problems.  
  
Serene closed her eyes and she heard laughter coming from behind her.   
  
"Come on guys," called twelve-year-old Serene, "I'll race you to the table!" With that, she ran off, only to trip a few feet later and fall to the floor.  
  
Raye, Mina, and Lita started giggling at their friend's clumsiness. But Amy just ran over to her friend and asked, "Are you alright Serene?"  
  
Serene, who was just about to cry when she saw her friends laughing, smiled at Amy, "Well, at least there is one friend who cares about me."  
  
The other three stared at her in shock. 'Does she really think that we don't care about her,' they thought.  
  
They snapped out of it when they saw Amy and Serene marching down the hallway.   
  
"Hey Amy, Serene," cried Raye, "wait up!"  
  
When they caught up with them, the two just stared at them coldly.  
  
"Serene, do you really think that we don't care about you," quietly asked Lita.  
  
With an arched eyebrow, she answered, "Well, you certainly don't act like you don't care about me. I mean, all you do is laugh at me when I fall, or make fun of me. Do you know how many times I have cried myself to sleep over the things you have said to me? Amy is the only one who has never said a single bad thing to me."  
  
Mina told her after a moment of silence, "Serene, we never meant to hurt you. We were only teasing you; we never meant any harm by it. We thought you laughed about it like we did. It never occurred to us that you felt different about it. We're really sorry about it."  
  
Raye and Lita nodded vigorously in agreement.  
  
For a moment, Serene stared hard into each of their eyes, as though she could see if they were really telling the truth or not. After doing this, she broke into a big smile and nodded.  
  
Laughing, they continued towards the dinning room.  
  
Sighing, Serene thought, 'those were such simple times and it was the first time that I truly saw that my friends truly loved me.' Sighing again, she looked back out towards the battlefield. Serene knew that her friends were not getting enough sleep. Yet they knew that without rest, they wouldn't be able to pull off an attack. So now they fought with swords, and sometimes with their bare hands.   
  
Serene recalled the last time she'd seen them, two days ago.  
  
~ "Princess Serene," a servant called, "the Sailors are back from the battlefield."  
  
"Thank you for telling me," she answered. With these words, Serene ran down to Queen Serenity's office where they were giving their report.  
  
As she walked inside, Venus was saying, "We've kept them at bay Your Highness, but we'll need reinforcements before long. The army out there now is exhausted. They need those reinforcements so they can catch a few hours of sleep."  
  
The Queen sighed and nodded.   
  
The Sailors left the room, with Serene following them.  
  
"Guys you need some sleep as well," admonished Serene gently.  
  
Venus quickly replied, "Don't worry Serene, we're fine, aren't we?" She glanced at the others for agreement.  
  
"Nope," said Sailor Jupiter with her eyes half closed.  
  
"I'm hardly fine Venus," snapped Mars irritably.  
  
"We need rest Venus, or we won't function much longer," added an extremely tired Mercury.  
  
Venus sighed in defeat, "Alright, maybe we do need a little rest. Go to your chambers, wash up, get something to eat, and get some rest. We're going to need it sooner or later."  
  
As Venus walked off, no one pretended to not know what she had meant. The three Sailors broke down in tears.  
  
  
Serene sighed again. She'd never seen anyone cry like that before. It had made her realize just how bad war really was.   
  
  
Venus sighed. This war had to stop, she screeched in her mind. It was really starting to get to her. Suddenly, she spotted four figures walking towards them.  
  
"Mercury," she demanded, "who's that up ahead?"  
  
Mercury, always efficient, even in a war, whipped out her computer. For several seconds, she scanned. She frowned and muttered, "That can't be right." She did the scan again, but came out with the same answer.  
  
Mercury looked at them with wide eyes full of terror. She didn't have to tell them, they just knew.  
  
With an aching heart, Venus turned to her former lover.  
  
  
I don't need for Mercury to scan them to know who they are, Mars thought sadly, I already know.  
  
With dread, Mars slowly started forward, ignoring Jupiter's confused glance. She'll figure it out soon enough, Mars continued, this will probably be the last battle that the Sailor Scouts ever fight. And in a way, I'm glad to be rid of all the pain that I've gone through these past few months.  
  
With dread in her mind, Mars stared into the heartless eyes that once belonged to the one man she loved.  
  
  
Jupiter gazed at Nephlite with surprising calm. 'It isn't him, she reminded her heart over and over. At least, that is what she tried to do. 'Oh god, NEPHLITE, come back to me PLEASE!'  
  
Still, Jupiter knew that the Nephlite she loved and cherished was gone, possibly forever. Time to get rid of this evil thing that would dare to take over his body.  
  
Jupiter knew what was required to do all to well.  
  
  
Mercury stared at Zoisite, thinking with all her might, it's not him, it's not him. Oh Zoisite, where are you, her mind screamed with all of it's power.  
  
As she stared at him, Mercury, like the other Scouts, knew what she had to do.  
  
  
"So Sailor Failures," sneered Kunzite, "are you prepared to meet your Maker?"  
  
Venus snarled at him, "Everyone joins the Maker sooner or later you asshole, but we aren't going to today. You are traitors!"  
  
"Not likely."  
  
'Who are you and what are you doing to me,' Kunzite's mind kept asking the image of Sailor Venus. 'She's the love of your life,' a small, but truthful voice said from inside what remained of his heart. He tried to squash the voice, to no avail.  
  
  
'Hey Kunz, if you're still in there, I love you and I always will, no matter what,' Venus thought at him.  
  
  
'Why do we seem to know each other so god damn well?' Jadeite's mind berated.   
  
'Jade, please don't forget what we had. I know that a part of you still knows deep inside.'  
  
'Hey Nephlite, just want you to know that I still love you and will never forget that, even if you do.'  
  
'What is with those green eyes of yours. So seemingly soft and understanding, whoa where did that jump out from?'  
  
'Zoisite just know that I forgive you for all you've ever done and all you will do. I love you forever, my love, my soul.'  
  
'Someone give the signal, so I can get closer to the baby 'Sailor' and see those crystal eyes so full of love,' his mind snapped at his heart, 'shut up and remember you job. Kill her with no mercy!' But still, there was a small part of his heart telling, no begging, him not to do what he'd been ordered to do.  
  
To this day, no one knows who shouted it, but it was the one sentence that would start the End of the Beginning. The start of the pain, the betrayal, the suffering, the tears, the heartaches… and the forgiveness.  
  
"FIGHT TO THE DEATH!"  
  
  
"Mercury Bubbles Blast," Sailor Mercury shouted with what energy reserves she had. She hoped against hope that it would be enough to cover their escape. 'As if they'd leave,' her mind scolded.  
  
"You are Sailor Mercury right," asked a cold and unemotional voice.  
  
Slowly, Mercury turned to that voice, hoping that it was just some youma. She was wrong, for one of the few times in her life.  
  
"General Zoisite," she muttered as coldly as she could manage.  
  
"Yes," he grinned evilly, "I'm here to kill the Water Scout, Sailor Mercury. You are her, aren't you? Not that I already know."  
  
"Are you going to stand there and talk or are you going to fight? I haven't got all day you know."  
  
Zoisite acted as though he'd come to realization, "Oh that's right! You have to die in the next few minutes."  
  
Amy gulped and answered softly, "What makes you think I'm the one who will die today? I have every intention of being alive for sometime."  
  
"I'm sorry to disrupt your plans." With these words, he leaped out at her and swung at her sword.  
  
Her energy just about gone, Amy barely managed to block, but the next swing that came immediately afterwards knocked the sword from her hands. She fell to the ground, tired of fighting.  
  
"Any last words, Princess," Zoisite sneered.  
  
  
'Thank god for the bubbles,' Jupiter thought for a moment as she moved back away from the Palace. She knew that she had to keep them away from the Moon Palace for as long as possible until the shields could be reinforced. If the cost was her life, then so be it. 'But to be killed by the other half of your soul,' she asked, 'is it worth that?'  
  
She didn't have time to answer her own question, for a man with a long mane of red-brown hair appeared in front of her.   
  
"Nephlite," she growled.  
  
"Ah the lovely Sailor Scout of Jupiter," he snarled with sarcasm.   
  
"You'll get to the Princess over my dead body."  
  
"That can be arranged."  
  
She screamed at him in rage, "You traitor! How could you let that majorly bitchy Beryl turn you against your Prince, your planet, your love?! How could you?"  
  
He narrowed his eyes in confusion, "I didn't betray anyone! What are you talking about?"  
  
Trying to take advantage of his confusion, Jupiter swung her sword at him.  
  
Nephlite laughed, "You see? You were only trying to confuse me." With one swing, he knocked her sword from her weak arms and brought his to her throat.  
  
He thought for a moment, 'she is gorgeous, they all are for that matter. It would be a shame to kill her.'  
  
"You know, we could negotiate our way out of this," he said off handedly as he leaned in closer to her face.  
  
"What? Like you'll let me live if I let you enter the Moon Palace and kill Princess Serene, Queen Serenity, and Prince Endymion? You'll let me live if I betray my oath, my friends?! Sorry, but that's not for me."  
  
  
Mars stared at the blond haired man in front of her. His normal sparkling blue eyes had been turned to midnight, almost completely black.   
  
"Sailor Mars," he sneered, "prepare to meet your death."  
  
She growled, "Shouldn't you be preparing to meet your own death TRAITOR!"  
  
He sighed in frustration, "Will you Sailors stop calling us traitors? We have never been Endymion's guardians and we never will be." He seemed a little unsure at that statement.  
  
'Is he remembering,' her mind asked. She ignored the voice, 'the Jade I knew and loved is gone forever, and even if he weren't, you'd kill him for letting himself be conquered by Beryl.' 'You don't mean that, and you know it.'  
  
The little voice was right, Mars realized, she could never kill the one who had finally conquered her heart.  
  
"You don't have enough energy to pull off an attack without killing yourself," Jedite continued, "not that you could beat me in any case."  
  
"We'll see about that." With that she swung at him with her blood-covered sword.  
  
They battled for a few minutes until they both realized that even with Mars exhausted from previous battles, they were evenly matched. That was what they thought, until Jadeite managed to get her to drop her sword.  
  
Jedite put his face within inches of hers and whispered, "Who are you and what are you doing to me?"  
  
  
"TRAITOR! You shall pay for you treachery," screamed Venus as she and Kunzite began to battle.  
  
"I AM NOT A TRAITOR, SAILOR VENUS," he yelled right back.  
  
"Then why did you betray Endymion, Earth, the Moon, and me," she asked quietly.  
  
He stared at her for a moment and she stared right back at him, tears now flowing freely. 'Oh GOD, Kunzite please come back to me, I need you like the plants need water,' she thought desperately.  
  
"Was I really a General of Endymion," he asked quietly.  
  
Tears still flowing, she nodded.  
  
Seeing the tears coursing down her face caused a scene to invade his mind.  
-Kunzite stared at the woman who was the head of Princess Serenity's guard. ' She must also play the Princess's double when it is required. Man is she gorgeous with that light blond hair and sky blue eyes and she has the perfect name, Minako, named after the Goddess of Love herself, perhaps she is the reincarnation of the Goddess herself.'-  
  
Softly, as though millions of miles away, Kunzite called, "Venus, Goddess of Love."  
  
Venus's heart swelled with hope as she asked, "You're remembering, aren't you?"  
  
Shaking his head violently, "THERE'S NOTHING TO REMEMBER!" Without thinking, his sword shot right into her abdomen. He gasped in surprise as she was unable to keep herself from screaming out in pain.  
  
  
"Any last words, Princess," Zoisite sneered.  
  
Holding her head high, Mercury screamed in frustration, "YES DAMN YOU, I LOVE YOU AND I HOPE BERYL BURNS IN HELL WHEN SHE'S KILLED FOR WHAT SHE HAS DONE TO YOU!'  
  
Zoisite stared at her in confusion, but soon became angry at the words she said about Queen Beryl. With extreme anger, he took the edge of his sword and cut her throat.  
  
Mercury fell to the ground, feeling the pain as she struggled to breathe. 'Oh well,' she thought, 'I'll be dead in a few minutes. Then there will be no more pain and I can meet up with the Zoisite that I truly loved. I'm coming love.' Those were the last thoughts that were formed in Princess Amy and Sailor Scout of Mercury's mind.  
  
Zoisite stayed and watched the light go out in the little girl's eyes. His olive green eyes seem to grow lighter for a moment but quickly turned back. But it didn't stop a tear from trickling down his cheek. He turned around and walked away, confused at his own emotions.  
  
  
"Sorry, but that's not for me," Lita sneered.  
  
He shook his head and thought, 'If she's not going to cooperate, then Beryl would want her dead.' With one swift move, he shoved his sword into her heart.  
  
As though she was hit from behind, Lita hit the ground on her stomach, groaning in pain. 'Ironic,' she mused as Nephlite stared at her in satisfaction, but there was a little horror in his eyes, 'that I'm stabbed in the heart by the only one who has ever been able to tame it.'   
  
Lita, Princess of Jupiter, joined those who gave their lives in protecting the Queen and Princess that day.  
  
  
"Who are you and what are you doing to me," Jedite whispered.  
  
Not bothering to stop the flow of tears any longer, she answered him with a kiss.  
  
Jedite was surprised. 'Why is this woman kissing me as though I mean the world to her, no one has ever loved me in this way.' 'But someone has,' a small voice came, 'she has. She has always loved you, no matter what you have done.' Slowly, Jedite deepened the passionate kiss.  
  
After a few seconds, Raye broke the kiss. With her tears almost gone, she whispered the one sentence that would end two more lives, "MARS PLANETARY FLAME... ENGULF!"  
  
The flame was so intense that anyone near it was forced to cover his or her eyes from the brightness. Sailor Mars and General Jedite joined each other to be together in the after life.  
  
  
When Kunzite had abruptly run her through, Mina had been unable to keep herself from screaming in pain. Not so much as the wound, but the pain of knowing that her only love had done it to her.  
  
As she dropped to the ground weeping, Kunzite stared at his sword as though it were a monster.  
  
"What are you waiting for," Mina asked him bitterly when he didn't leave, "you've done what you came here to do. You found me, battled me, and killed me. And in the process of doing so, you broke the trust I had in you and in love. You made me realize that Love doesn't exist, that it's just something people do to blind themselves. Why don't you move on and inflict the same pain on someone else?"  
  
"You're wrong."  
  
"What?"  
  
He sighed and said louder, "You're wrong. Love does exist. It is the one thing that has existed throughout the ages. I've never experienced it myself but-"  
  
"Then how do you know it exists?"  
  
"Because... -"Mina, you mean the world to me," he said to her as he took her hands, "I've never knew love before you. So I would be the happiest man in the world if you, Princess Mina of Venus, would be my wife."  
  
"Mina," that one word was able to wrench her heart in more ways than one.  
  
Finally, she reached out to him and whispered, "Kunzite, come back to me PLEASE!"  
  
Kunzite, now remembering that Mina was the love of his life, ran to her. He fell to her side and kissed her for all he was worth, which, right now wasn't much, in his opinion.  
  
After a moment, Mina broke off and clenched her stomach in pain.   
  
Kunzite stared at the wound with pure horror, and cried, "Oh god Mina, I'm sorry, I-"  
  
She cut him off for the second time, "Kunzite I don't blame you for this. It's alright."  
  
"No it isn't. You're dying."  
  
Mina laughed despite the circumstances, "Honey, I said before that we all meet our Maker sooner or later, well I meant that," her last words to him for a millennium were, "Kunzite, I love you more than anything in the entire Universe. We'll see each other again, I promise."  
  
He stared at her and for the first time in his life, he cried.  
  
"Traitor," screamed two voices from behind.  
  
Kunzite turned around and barely managed to stop a double blow from Zoisite's and Nephlite's swords.  
  
"You let yourself fall in love with a wretched Sailor Scout," cried Zoisite, "how could you?"  
  
"Zoisite, Nephlite," Kunzite said quietly, "I've been in love with her since the first time I met her with Prince Endymion."  
  
Nephlite groaned, "Don't tell me you believe that crap about us being guards of Endymion, that bastard."  
  
Kunzite was overcome with rage at someone calling one of his best friends such things. With one fluid moment, he cut Nephlite's throat.  
  
Zoisite stared at the body of his fellow warrior in disbelief. Slowly, he turned to Kunzite and lunged at him and stabbed him in the side.   
  
As Kunzite fell to the ground, the sword still inside him, he looked up into Zoisite's triumphant face.  
  
"You turned down the greatest power of all time Kunzite and now you've paid the price. I still can't believe you turned it down for her though."  
  
"Zoisite," he croaked, "I can't let you hurt the Prince, the Princess, or the Queen. I'm sorry." With this final apology, he took his sword, which was still beside him, and rammed it into Zoisite's face. He died instantly.  
  
Kunzite took out his fallen friend's sword and looked at Mina's body, still oozing blood slightly, and whispered, "I'm coming love," then to the blood red world around him, "forgive me, for I can never forgive myself."  
  
With these final words, he pushed the sword into his lungs. Within a few seconds, Kunzite joined the many others who'd fallen that day.  
  
  
Serene stared out at the devastation that had once been her home. 'Oh how did we let this happen,' her mind screeched.   
  
She didn't answer when a wretched creature with claw hands and flaming hair appeared in front of her. Instantly alert, she backed up a few steps.  
  
"Hmm," cackled the witch, "I think it's time that we met Little Princess, don't you think?" With that she dove straight towards her.  
  
Just before she reached the Princess, someone jumped in front of her. "Who are you," Beryl growled with intensity.   
  
Calmly, he spoke, "I am Prince Endymion of Earth and if you think I am going to let you harm this young woman then you are insane, well, that wouldn't work, since you already are."  
  
Beryl's eyes narrowed, "Since you feel that way then you had better join the Sailor Scouts."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Serene's quiet voice said from behind, "They're gone Endy, along with the four Generals."  
  
"God," Endymion breathed.  
  
Beryl grinned evilly, "You'd better be praying because you won't be alive much longer." With that the battle began.  
  
The fight went on for several minutes and it became clear that Beryl would sooner or later kill Endymion. He was exhausted from all the fighting he'd done that day, that past month.  
  
Suddenly, a new figure appeared in front of him and Beryl.  
  
"Who are you," Endymion yelled, "get out of the way before she kills you!"  
  
The voice said softly, but with an dangerous edge, "Prince Endymion, get Princess Serenity out of here."  
  
"Marie," Serene breathed with disbelief.  
  
"Get her out of here now, I'll hold the witch off as long as I can," Marie growled with rage.  
  
Nodding hesitantly, Endymion clipped her on the shoulder, a sign of respect for a warrior, turned, grabbed Serene's hand and ran.  
  
"Now Beryl," Marie said, "let us end this."  
  
"Yes end this now with your death, followed by the Prince, Princess, and Queen. Then the Universe shall be mine!"  
  
"Evil maniac. DIE!"  
  
With only these words, the final battle began. They fought for several minutes and it showed that Marie was a good fighter indeed.   
  
Finally, the battle ended with a dagger in Marie's stomach.  
  
Beryl cracked, "Say hello to everyone you meet in Hell Marie!"  
  
Looking up with a burning hatred, she screamed, "If I am going to Hell, then you Beryl, are coming with me!" With these words, she took her sword that was still in her hand and rammed it into Beryl's abdomen. She was dead before she hit the ground.  
  
Marie, already on her knees, fell the rest of the way to the ground.  
  
"Marie," shrieked a voice from behind her. She instantly knew that it was Princess Serene and Prince Endymion.  
  
"Oh Marie, why did you do that? I don't want you to die," sobbed Serene when she reached her.  
  
With what little strength she had left, Marie answered, "Your Highness, you must be protected at all costs. I wasn't about to let you get yourself killed by that evil witch. I've always admired you and the Sailor Scouts. When this retched war started I knew that there was always a possibility that they wouldn't survive to protect you, so I swore in the Temple of Diana that I would always protect you in any way I could, even if it cost me my life." Softly, she began to sing.  
  
"Only a Memory Away"  
Will you miss me when I'm gone?  
Will you remember all the good times we had?  
The hardest thing about leaving is saying goodbye  
We'll always be the greatest of friends  
I'll miss you more than I can say  
And when I'm blue, I'll just dream about you  
I'll be only a memory away  
We'll always be the greatest of friends  
I'll miss you more than I can say  
And when I'm blue, I'll just dream about you  
I'll be only a memory away  
  
You're something special to me  
Friendship is something that money can't buy  
And if you need me, you know that I'll be there for you  
We'll always be the greatest of friends  
I'll miss you more than I can say  
And when you dream, I will be there for you  
I'll be only a memory away  
We'll always be the greatest of friends  
I'll miss you more than I can say  
And when you dream, I will be there for you  
I'll be only a memory away  
  
All of her strength put into singing the song, Marie died immediately after she finishing the song, with a brilliant smile on her face. She knew she'd fulfilled her true duty.  
  
Serene burst into tears. Endymion put his arm around her and they both cried. They cried for Marie, Mina, Kunzite, Raye, Jedite, Lita, Nephlite, Amy, Zoisite, and all of the others who'd died needlessly in this war.  
  
Suddenly, without warning, a youma jumped out of the shadows. Endymion maneuvered himself in front of Serene to protect her, but because he wasn't ready in time, a knife was plunged into his heart.  
  
Serene immediately stopped crying and stared at the dead body of her lover. Looking up with such an intense hatred that it would have startled anyone, her crescent moon that adorned her forehead began to glow. With one burst of power, the youma was gone.  
  
After recovering from the energy release, Serene took out the dagger that she kept with her for protection. She whispered, "I know you all died to protect me, but life isn't worth living without you. Forgive me please, I'm coming." With that, she fought to keep herself from crying out in pain as the dagger hit her lungs and heart. The last thing she heard was her mother shrieking, "SERENE NOOOO!"  
  
Queen Serenity stared at the devastation around her as she walked through it. 'Beryl got what she wanted,' Serenity thought bitterly, 'the Moon Kingdom is no more, but it was at the cost of her own life.'  
  
She came to four dead bodies. 'Oh god,' she begged silently, 'please don't let it be Serene and Endymion please.' Serenity's pleas were to no avail. It was them, along with Beryl and Marie, one of the ladies of her Court. 'Poor Marie, how did she get involved in this particular struggle?' 'You've always known that she worshipped Serene,' a voice inside her heart told her, 'she would do anything to protect her, even if it was with her own life.'  
  
Serenity could stand it no longer. She fell to the ground and wept for everything that had been lost.  
  
"My Queen," came a soft and familiar voice from behind.  
  
She turned to them and asked, "Did you find anyone alive?"  
  
"No," Luna replied from behind, "Are you alright my Queen?"  
  
Serenity, delirious over her loss, screamed, "I've just lost my daughter, future son-in-law, their guardians, and my entire fucking planet to one person. How do you expect me to feel Luna?"  
  
Luna said nothing, words wouldn't help now.  
  
'There is no choice,' Serenity thought, 'I was hoping to send them to another planet, but now the only one inhabitable is Earth.' The Queen melded the Crescent Moon Wand and Silver Imperium Crystal together.  
  
Artemis, who'd been silent the entire time, cried out desperately, "Queen Serenity, if you use the Crystal now, it will surely kill you. It can be lethal to its user."  
  
"It's the only way Artemis. My kingdom is gone and there is nothing left for them here. They will have to go somewhere else."  
  
Before the two cats could ask what she meant, Queen Serenity raised the wand and said the deadly phrase, "Moon Crystal... Resurrection..."  
  
A golden light surrounded them and the sound of something being encased could be heard. Dozens of little globes floated into the air, only feet above the ground.   
  
Luna started when she saw that Beryl's army was also encased. Whirling to her queen, she gasped, "Your Majesty you can't be serious!"  
  
Serenity, who now lay on a fallen pillar, exhausted, whispered, "None of them, not even Beryl, were evil by choice Luna. It would be cruel not to give them another chance, the same chance that I'm giving everyone else."  
  
Artemis mumbled, "I guess you are right."  
  
Smiling faintly, Serenity breathed, "My two dear friends, I have a favor to ask of you. I want you to accompany them to the future. If those that were evil here today become evil once again, you shall have to awaken the four, no eight, Sailors to protect Serene. Train them well dear ones."  
  
After they nodded their permission, Serenity raised the Crystal into the air. It began to float into the air, the globes that carried the people of the Moon following it. They began their journey to Earth.  
  
Giving her two feline friend's one last smile, Serenity raised the Crescent Moon Wand to the air, just as she'd done with the Crystal. Two capsules engulfed the two cats and they followed the Wand.  
  
Fading quickly, Queen Serenity sighed her last words, "May the peace rise again. I hope you are happy there Serene, my baby, with your prince and friends beside you..." Slowly her eyes closed for the final time.  
  
It was only the beginning of the greatest battle of all time.  



	3. Love Never Dies

Serenity stared at the closed book. It was one the outside, old and decrepit. But on the inside was the best and most tragic story she'd ever read. 'And why does it all seem so familiar,' she wondered. Suddenly, she glanced at her watch and gasped. It was eight-thirty P.M. She'd spent the whole day reading the story. Quickly, Serenity got up and ran for the front door of the library, taking the large book with her.  
  
When she got there, the entire group was standing there waiting for her. "Sorry I'm late, I was reading," she said breathlessly.  
  
"Well," teased Mars gently, "this is a library, isn't it? Anyway, you aren't the last person here. We're still waiting for Venus, Saturn, and Mercury."  
  
At that moment, Venus came running up, 5 or 6 books in her arms. She gasped, "Sorry to keep you guys waiting, but it took me forever to find some books to bring with me."  
  
Darien finally spoke (for he'd been staring at Serenity again), "Do you mean that you've been looking for those books all day?" He gaped at her.  
  
Venus laughed at that, "No, no. I read one book all day, put it back when I finished it and went looking for some to take with me."  
  
Everyone laughed, and Mercury and Saturn arrived. After explaining what they had been doing to cause them to be late, the large group set off for supper.  
  
During supper, they each told what they'd picked out of the library. Rini had found the latest part of the Sailor V comics that had been going on since her mother had been thirteen years old. Jupiter had found a new cookbook that she'd never tried before, but when they asked what she was going to cook, she only smiled mysteriously. Darien had found some of his favorite sci-fi books that he hadn't read in years and had snatched them up the instant he saw them. Uranus had found several books on weapons for her to research. Neptune had found an old book of music for her to learn and for her to play for her friends. Mars had found a book on the history of one of the most famous temples in the history of all Tokyo. Saturn and Mercury refused to comment on what they had found in the old library.  
  
Rolling her eyes at Saturn and Mercury, Mars turned to Serenity and asked, "So, what did you find in the Library?"  
  
Silently, she handed them the book that she had read that day.  
  
Studying it, Mars read the title aloud, "Silver Destiny."  
  
Opening the book to the dedication page she read that aloud as well. It said, "Dedicated to all of the people who have ever known true love, especially the people in this story."  
  
Mars looked up at Serenity and asked, "Have you read this yet?"  
  
Shaking her head, she replied, "Only skimmed it. I figured it would be interesting so I took it."  
  
"Oh," replied Mars, "Can you give it to me when you're finished? I'd love to read it too."  
  
"Sure."  
  
Changing the subject, Venus asked, "Serenity, how would you like to go shopping tomorrow?"  
  
Her eyes lit up like to light bulbs. Nodding viciously, Serenity said, "Definitely! I would love to check out some of the stores there."  
  
Laughing at her friend's exuberance, Uranus rang out, "Then it's settled. Tomorrow's destination: THE MALL!"  
  
Everyone laughed. Uranus was the last one who they would have thought to agree to go to the Mall.  
  
That morning, the group set out for the Mall. Darien had informed the people that they'd be there that day, but asked the people that they treat them like anyone else, since Serenity would wonder why she was being treated like a Goddess.  
  
Dashing from store to store, Serenity had her nose in everything, causing everyone else to laugh their heads off.   
  
After an entire day of shopping, the group decided to walk home. Taking the long route through the park, they were stopped by a large gust of wind.  
  
An evil laugh rang out, "Thank you Sailors for bringing the Queen to me. My minions and I will take her now." As Quartzite said this, the four Generals appeared beside him.  
  
Everyone, minus Serenity, who was glaring at Quartzite, gaped at them.   
  
Neptune shook off her feeling of shock and yelled at the group, "Transform guys! We have to protect the Queen. Neptune Crystal Power!"  
  
"Venus Crystal Power!"  
  
"Saturn Crystal Power!"  
  
"Mars Crystal Power!"  
  
"Uranus Crystal Power!"  
  
"Jupiter Crystal Power!"  
  
"Mercury Crystal Power!"  
  
"Neo-Moon Star Power!"  
  
In the places of the Royal Family and their closest friends were the legendary Sailor Scouts. The group of female warriors and their protector, Tuxedo Mask, that were usually told as bedtime stories or in history lessons. It was indeed that they were real.  
  
Staring at them, Jedite laughed, "You won't be defeating me this time Sailor Brats!"  
  
Fighting the turmoil that had been brought up in her heart, Mars snarled, "As I said before Jedite, you are evil. Good always triumphs over Evil, haven't you figured that out yet?"  
  
Pairing up, Mars and Neptune took on Jedite. Jupiter and Neo-Moon took on Nephlite, Venus and Saturn went for Kunzite, and Mercury and Uranus lunged at Zoicite. That left Tuxedo Mask to protect Serenity, who was now staring at the four generals in a trance like state.  
  
Images flooded Serenity's mind. Images of a group of four men kneeling before her, a man standing beside her with his arm around her, four girls sitting around laughing with her, and four other girls smiling as they watched from the shadows. Also, a woman with silver hair and silver eyes, looking at her with pure love.   
  
The woman said to her, "Serenity, wake up. Free the Generals from their prison that has held them for the past two thousand years. Let the girls be happy once again."  
  
Just as abruptly as the images started, they ended. Serenity was now again standing behind Tuxedo Mask as he fought off Quartzite. All around her the Sailors were fighting the Generals.  
  
Serenity smiled and thought to herself, there will be no more fighting in my lifetime. Raising her hands into the air, she shouted, "Imperial Moon Power!"  
  
With a crescent moon in the background, the Silver Crystal appeared in front of it. A silver glow emanated from it and shined down on Serenity, causing a silver suit to appear. In a flash, two gold bows and a gold skirt fastened to the suit, fitting together in one snap. The Crystal floated to a staff now residing in her hands.   
  
Everyone had stopped fighting to stare at Serenity in amazement. She had obviously remembered enough to transform.  
  
Opening her eyes, she stared at each of them calmly, raised her staff and whispered, "Cosmic Moon Healing Activate!"  
  
The light shined upon the four Generals and they screamed in pain. The four Inner Sailors winced as though they'd felt the pain. The glow disappeared and the Generals stared straight ahead in shock.  
  
They'd betrayed Earth, Prince Endymion, Princess Serene, Queen Serenity, the Moon, and their loves to Beryl. It was unforgivable to do such a thing. Each fell to the ground, screaming in anguish.  
  
As everyone continued to stare in amazement, Sailor Moon slowly walked to them. Kneeling down, she smiled at each of them.   
  
"Princess," whispered Zoisite, "Kill us. We don't deserve to live after all we've done."  
  
Tears formed in everyone present eyes, except Quartzite, who was gaping at Sailor Moon. Quietly, the four Inner Sailors walked forward, Venus placing a hand on Kunzite's shoulder, Mercury holding the still crying Zoisite in her arms, Mars just smiled at Jedite with forgiveness, and Jupiter pulled Nephlite into her comforting embrace.  
  
Rolling his eyes, Quartzite shouted, "Oh please, I didn't come here to put on some teary-eyed reunion for you! You generals have betrayed me, just as you did Beryl! For that you must die!" With those words, he flung a gigantic blast at the eight forms kneeling on the ground.  
  
"Nooooo," screamed Sailor Moon and she hurled herself in front of them, her staff forming a shield around them.   
  
When the light from the blast pasted, Quartzite screamed in rage at the sight of them sill alive.  
  
With total calm, Sailor Moon said, "You have used your powers for evil and that is not tolerated upon this planet. You turned the four generals against us, just as Beryl the Bitch did. Now it is time for you to receive your punishment." Slowly, she raised her staff and whispered, "Cosmic Moon... Eliminate..."  
  
Quartzite, recognizing the danger, placed a shield in front of him and threw his own blasts at the Queen.   
  
Everyone stared at their old friend, princess, mother, and wife in amazement. She was using the Crystal with ease, not even showing any sign of tiring. Then suddenly, Serenity was knocked back four feet.  
  
"PPPRRRIIINNNCCCEEESSS," screamed Zoisite, terrified that she was going to get hurt. She had done so much for him in the Silver Millennium and he'd betrayed her trust, and she'd died without knowing that he would always care for her, just as he cared for all of his closest friends.  
  
"We've got to help her," shouted Nephlite desperately. He began to run forward, but was stopped by two restraining hands.  
  
"Now," Darien and Kunzite cried back, "this is her fight! We must let her do this."  
  
It went on for a few minutes, but seemed like an eternity. Finally, Quartzite fell to the ground in front of Sailor Moon's feet.  
  
Panting, he looked up at her and growled, "Well go ahead Serenity, finish me."  
  
She stared at him silently, as if pondering something. Then she spoke, "It is not my right to punish you. You have paid for what you have done for me, but now you must pay for what you have done to others. The Generals, the Sailors, King Darien, and Princess Rini will decide your fate." With that, she turned around and walked away from him. Everyone hugged her when she arrived in front of them. They then continued to walk away, towards the citizens who had been standing there watching, Darien's arm around his wife's slim waist.  
  
Quartzite stared at Darien, livid. How dare he touch her, he seethed, she. Is. MINE!  
  
With a primal scream of rage, he threw all his remaining energy at Darien's turned back. Immediately, he dropped to the ground, exhausted to almost unconsciousness.  
  
On impulse, Serenity glanced back at Quartzite and gasped when she saw the blast coming at her husband's back. Screaming, "LOOK OUT DARIEN!" She shoved him to the ground, taking the brunt of the blast herself. She fell to the ground and didn't move a muscle.   
  
Serenity stared at the closed book. It was one the outside, old and decrepit. But on the inside was the best and most tragic story she'd ever read. 'And why does it all seem so familiar,' she wondered. Suddenly, she glanced at her watch and gasped. It was eight-thirty P.M. She'd spent the whole day reading the story. Quickly, Serenity got up and ran for the front door of the library, taking the large book with her.  
  
When she got there, the entire group was standing there waiting for her. "Sorry I'm late, I was reading," she said breathlessly.  
  
"Well," teased Mars gently, "this is a library, isn't it? Anyway, you aren't the last person here. We're still waiting for Venus, Saturn, and Mercury."  
  
At that moment, Venus came running up, 5 or 6 books in her arms. She gasped, "Sorry to keep you guys waiting, but it took me forever to find some books to bring with me."  
  
Darien finally spoke (for he'd been staring at Serenity again), "Do you mean that you've been looking for those books all day?" He gaped at her.  
  
Venus laughed at that, "No, no. I read one book all day, put it back when I finished it and went looking for some to take with me."  
  
Everyone laughed, and Mercury and Saturn arrived. After explaining what they had been doing to cause them to be late, the large group set off for supper.  
  
During supper, they each told what they'd picked out of the library. Rini had found the latest part of the Sailor V comics that had been going on since her mother had been thirteen years old. Jupiter had found a new cookbook that she'd never tried before, but when they asked what she was going to cook, she only smiled mysteriously. Darien had found some of his favorite sci-fi books that he hadn't read in years and had snatched them up the instant he saw them. Uranus had found several books on weapons for her to research. Neptune had found an old book of music for her to learn and for her to play for her friends. Mars had found a book on the history of one of the most famous temples in the history of all Tokyo. Saturn and Mercury refused to comment on what they had found in the old library.  
  
Rolling her eyes at Saturn and Mercury, Mars turned to Serenity and asked, "So, what did you find in the Library?"  
  
Silently, she handed them the book that she had read that day.  
  
Studying it, Mars read the title aloud, "Silver Destiny."  
  
Opening the book to the dedication page she read that aloud as well. It said, "Dedicated to all of the people who have ever known true love, especially the people in this story."  
  
Mars looked up at Serenity and asked, "Have you read this yet?"  
  
Shaking her head, she replied, "Only skimmed it. I figured it would be interesting so I took it."  
  
"Oh," replied Mars, "Can you give it to me when you're finished? I'd love to read it too."  
  
"Sure."  
  
Changing the subject, Venus asked, "Serenity, how would you like to go shopping tomorrow?"  
  
Her eyes lit up like to light bulbs. Nodding viciously, Serenity said, "Definitely! I would love to check out some of the stores there."  
  
Laughing at her friend's exuberance, Uranus rang out, "Then it's settled. Tomorrow's destination: THE MALL!"  
  
Everyone laughed. Uranus was the last one who they would have thought to agree to go to the Mall.  
  
That morning, the group set out for the Mall. Darien had informed the people that they'd be there that day, but asked the people that they treat them like anyone else, since Serenity would wonder why she was being treated like a Goddess.  
  
Dashing from store to store, Serenity had her nose in everything, causing everyone else to laugh their heads off.   
  
After an entire day of shopping, the group decided to walk home. Taking the long route through the park, they were stopped by a large gust of wind.  
  
An evil laugh rang out, "Thank you Sailors for bringing the Queen to me. My minions and I will take her now." As Quartzite said this, the four Generals appeared beside him.  
  
Everyone, minus Serenity, who was glaring at Quartzite, gaped at them.   
  
Neptune shook off her feeling of shock and yelled at the group, "Transform guys! We have to protect the Queen. Neptune Crystal Power!"  
  
"Venus Crystal Power!"  
  
"Saturn Crystal Power!"  
  
"Mars Crystal Power!"  
  
"Uranus Crystal Power!"  
  
"Jupiter Crystal Power!"  
  
"Mercury Crystal Power!"  
  
"Neo-Moon Star Power!"  
  
In the places of the Royal Family and their closest friends were the legendary Sailor Scouts. The group of female warriors and their protector, Tuxedo Mask, that were usually told as bedtime stories or in history lessons. It was indeed that they were real.  
  
Staring at them, Jedite laughed, "You won't be defeating me this time Sailor Brats!"  
  
Fighting the turmoil that had been brought up in her heart, Mars snarled, "As I said before Jedite, you are evil. Good always triumphs over Evil, haven't you figured that out yet?"  
  
Pairing up, Mars and Neptune took on Jedite. Jupiter and Neo-Moon took on Nephlite, Venus and Saturn went for Kunzite, and Mercury and Uranus lunged at Zoicite. That left Tuxedo Mask to protect Serenity, who was now staring at the four generals in a trance like state.  
  
Images flooded Serenity's mind. Images of a group of four men kneeling before her, a man standing beside her with his arm around her, four girls sitting around laughing with her, and four other girls smiling as they watched from the shadows. Also, a woman with silver hair and silver eyes, looking at her with pure love.   
  
The woman said to her, "Serenity, wake up. Free the Generals from their prison that has held them for the past two thousand years. Let the girls be happy once again."  
  
Just as abruptly as the images started, they ended. Serenity was now again standing behind Tuxedo Mask as he fought off Quartzite. All around her the Sailors were fighting the Generals.  
  
Serenity smiled and thought to herself, there will be no more fighting in my lifetime. Raising her hands into the air, she shouted, "Imperial Moon Power!"  
  
With a crescent moon in the background, the Silver Crystal appeared in front of it. A silver glow emanated from it and shined down on Serenity, causing a silver suit to appear. In a flash, two gold bows and a gold skirt fastened to the suit, fitting together in one snap. The Crystal floated to a staff now residing in her hands.   
  
Everyone had stopped fighting to stare at Serenity in amazement. She had obviously remembered enough to transform.  
  
Opening her eyes, she stared at each of them calmly, raised her staff and whispered, "Cosmic Moon Healing Activate!"  
  
The light shined upon the four Generals and they screamed in pain. The four Inner Sailors winced as though they'd felt the pain. The glow disappeared and the Generals stared straight ahead in shock.  
  
They'd betrayed Earth, Prince Endymion, Princess Serene, Queen Serenity, the Moon, and their loves to Beryl. It was unforgivable to do such a thing. Each fell to the ground, screaming in anguish.  
  
As everyone continued to stare in amazement, Sailor Moon slowly walked to them. Kneeling down, she smiled at each of them.   
  
"Princess," whispered Zoisite, "Kill us. We don't deserve to live after all we've done."  
  
Tears formed in everyone present eyes, except Quartzite, who was gaping at Sailor Moon. Quietly, the four Inner Sailors walked forward, Venus placing a hand on Kunzite's shoulder, Mercury holding the still crying Zoisite in her arms, Mars just smiled at Jedite with forgiveness, and Jupiter pulled Nephlite into her comforting embrace.  
  
Rolling his eyes, Quartzite shouted, "Oh please, I didn't come here to put on some teary-eyed reunion for you! You generals have betrayed me, just as you did Beryl! For that you must die!" With those words, he flung a gigantic blast at the eight forms kneeling on the ground.  
  
"Nooooo," screamed Sailor Moon and she hurled herself in front of them, her staff forming a shield around them.   
  
When the light from the blast pasted, Quartzite screamed in rage at the sight of them sill alive.  
  
With total calm, Sailor Moon said, "You have used your powers for evil and that is not tolerated upon this planet. You turned the four generals against us, just as Beryl the Bitch did. Now it is time for you to receive your punishment." Slowly, she raised her staff and whispered, "Cosmic Moon... Eliminate..."  
  
Quartzite, recognizing the danger, placed a shield in front of him and threw his own blasts at the Queen.   
  
Everyone stared at their old friend, princess, mother, and wife in amazement. She was using the Crystal with ease, not even showing any sign of tiring. Then suddenly, Serenity was knocked back four feet.  
  
"PPPRRRIIINNNCCCEEESSS," screamed Zoisite, terrified that she was going to get hurt. She had done so much for him in the Silver Millennium and he'd betrayed her trust, and she'd died without knowing that he would always care for her, just as he cared for all of his closest friends.  
  
"We've got to help her," shouted Nephlite desperately. He began to run forward, but was stopped by two restraining hands.  
  
"Now," Darien and Kunzite cried back, "this is her fight! We must let her do this."  
  
It went on for a few minutes, but seemed like an eternity. Finally, Quartzite fell to the ground in front of Sailor Moon's feet.  
  
Panting, he looked up at her and growled, "Well go ahead Serenity, finish me."  
  
She stared at him silently, as if pondering something. Then she spoke, "It is not my right to punish you. You have paid for what you have done for me, but now you must pay for what you have done to others. The Generals, the Sailors, King Darien, and Princess Rini will decide your fate." With that, she turned around and walked away from him. Everyone hugged her when she arrived in front of them. They then continued to walk away, towards the citizens who had been standing there watching, Darien's arm around his wife's slim waist.  
  
Quartzite stared at Darien, livid. How dare he touch her, he seethed, she. Is. MINE!  
  
With a primal scream of rage, he threw all his remaining energy at Darien's turned back. Immediately, he dropped to the ground, exhausted to almost unconsciousness.  
  
On impulse, Serenity glanced back at Quartzite and gasped when she saw the blast coming at her husband's back. Screaming, "LOOK OUT DARIEN!" She shoved him to the ground, taking the brunt of the blast herself. She fell to the ground and didn't move a muscle.   
  
At that moment, time seemed to stop. Everyone stared at the broken body of Queen Serenity, the Queen of Earth and the Moon, lying on the ground. Then, with an deafening scream, the crowd of citizens converged on Quartzite. He didn't have time to make a sound.  
  
As for the Sailors, Generals, Rini, and Darien, they just stood there, in total shock. They had just gotten her back, how could they lose her so quickly again?   
  
Then a wind blew and a door appeared out of no where. It was flung open, and out running came Sailor Pluto, a stricken look on her face and tears falling down her cheeks, far different than her normally composed expression.  
  
Silently, she fell to the ground next the woman that she had guarded since she'd been born, in the Silver Millennium and in the 20th century. An audible sob came from Pluto's lips, "Serenity… my little Serenity... No you can't leave us... You weren't supposed to..." Slowly, she began to rock the body in her arms.  
  
At those words, it sunk through to the others. Screaming with total anguish, the seven other Sailors fell to the ground, along with Rini, who was whimpering in Saturn's arms. The Generals stood at their love's sides, crying silently for the dear sweet princess they'd known so long ago. But as for Darien, he just stared at his wife's corpse, his face expressionless, and his eyes had turned from cobalt to stony gray, totally lifeless. Behind them, there was wailing coming from the people of Crystal Tokyo. They had lost the Queen that they had loved more than anything in the entire galaxy.  
  
For what seemed like an eternity, no one moved. Finally, Mercury and Saturn stood up and, represented by ever quiet Mercury, they spoke to Pluto in a commanding tone, "Pluto, open the gate. We're going back to save her." It wasn't a suggestion, it was a command, and no one had ever commanded Pluto.  
  
She looked up at them, startled, and weakly protested, "But the Time stream would ~"  
  
"To hell with the Time stream," screamed Saturn, "This wasn't supposed to happen and you know it as well as the rest of us do. I don't care if History itself comes unraveled, I just want my Queen and friend back!" The deadly gleam in her eyes said, 'do not mess with me when I am this mad.'  
  
Paralyzed by indecision for the first time in her long life, Pluto stared at each of them in the face, until she came to Darien. Only she could see the faint hope that sparked in his eyes. It was enough.  
  
Gently lowering Serenity's body to the ground, she stood. Quietly, she raised her time staff and the gate appeared once again, unfeeling to the sorrow that surrounded it. Slowly, it opened.  
  
Breaking the silence, Jupiter asked, "Is this safe?"  
  
Laughing bitterly, Pluto answered, "Messing with time is never safe. May Cronos forgive me for what I am about to do, but right now, I just want her back. If I must be punished for that, then so be it. Just as long as she lives. But," she hesitated, then continued, "Only two may go. There is no more room than that. Who will go and who will stay?"  
  
Saturn answered immediately, "I will go."  
  
"So will I."  
  
Everyone turned in surprise to stare at Venus, who had been nestled in Kunzite's arms for what had seemed like forever.  
  
"Are you sure," asked Kunzite in concern for her mental state.  
  
Her laughter just as bitter as Pluto's, if not even more, "I have failed my lieges. This can never be forgiven. But perhaps I can redeem myself by never letting it happen in the first place. I'm going!"  
  
Nodding, Pluto gestured to the door. Turning to stare at everyone, Saturn and Venus, the two leaders of the Sailor Scouts, gave everyone a silent goodbye. Their gazes rested upon Darien, who was still staring at Serenity, or rather, what was left of her, as she was slowly disappearing. He suddenly turned to them and said only two words, "Good Luck."  
  
Nodding, they turned and ran away from the awful sight, Pluto following them to her post.  
  
It took only a few minutes until they reached their destination.   
  
Pluto said to them, "I cannot go any farther. From here you are on your own. But remember you must only save her. Do not try to stop the crowd from tearing him apart. For the sake of History, he must die. I wish you luck."  
  
The two silently nodded farewell, and went to meet their destinies.  
  
The group of fourteen people were walking away as Quartzite stared at them. With the primal scream that Saturn and Venus had already heard, he threw an attack at Darien's back.  
  
Seeing the attack, Serenity prepared herself to take the blast. She closed her eyes. It never came.  
  
Hesitating, she opened her eyes and gasped. Saturn and Venus were one the ground, barely breathing. Serenity stared at the people beside her and was shocked. Saturn and Venus were standing there, but they were also on the ground!  
  
With a shriek of rage at the thought that Quartzite would try to murder their queen, the citizens of Crystal Tokyo were upon him before he could make a sound.  
  
Serenity, the others following her, ran to the side of the two fallen Sailors.  
  
"How can this be," she whispered to them, not expecting an answer.  
  
Slowly, Venus opened her eyes and breathed, "We're from the future Serenity. We saw you die from that blast. We knew that it wasn't supposed to happen. After convincing Pluto, she let us come back to save you. Where we are from, it no longer exists, thank god. I don't want to live in that time. I am just... thankful that you are alive." Those were her final words as Venus and Saturn's bodies faded into nothingness.   
  
"Oh my god," whispered Mars, "they sacrificed their lives to come back here to save you Serenity."  
  
Kunzite pulled his Venus closer and said only, "Remarkable."  
  
"Well," spoke Darien for the first time, "Venus, Saturn, I think you deserve a medal."  
  
The two Sailors protested, "But we didn't do it!"  
  
He answered simply, "It was the two of you lying on the ground wasn't it?"  
  
Everyone smiled and began to walk home. The crowd cheered loudly.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  



	4. Beginnings

Epilogue  
  
1 year later  
  
It was a happy day in Crystal Tokyo. The four Inner Sailors were marrying the four Generals of King Darien that glorious day. The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, so they decided to have it in the town square, so the people could see it happen. The four Outer Sailors and Princess Rini were bridesmaids, and King Darien and Queen Serenity were going to perform the ceremony for them. The people of Earth were ecstatic with joy.  
  
But that joy was nothing compared to the looks of the four Inner Sailors walked down the isle, Amy in her blue silk dress and pearls of the sea around her neck, Mina in her dress that was as bright as the sun and the orange topaz that was on her wrist, Lita in her the dress that matched her eyes perfectly and the emerald pendant that had been given to her just the night before, and finally Raye, in a ruby red dress that matched her temper with rubies weaved into the fabric.  
  
Serenity smiled at the sight of her friends so happy. She also smiled because she knew their secrets. Mina, Amy, Raye, and Lita were pregnant. Darien knew as well, for they had both seen the glow of motherhood, Serenity in herself and Darien in his wife.  
  
At that moment, the four girls arrived and were now on the arms of their beloved. Giving them each one last smile, Serenity and Darien started the ceremony.  
  
  
Mina/Kunzite: Two days after the new year, Mina presented Kunzite with twins, a girl and a boy, who were named Harmony and Eros. Over the years, their love grew for one another, and they had another little girl, named, appropriately enough, Aphrodite. At the end of their lives, Kunzite died, leaving Mina heartbroken. She followed him a week later.  
  
Amy/Zoisite: In February of the same year, Amy bore a son to Zoisite, making him ecstatic, and thus naming him Hermes. Two years later, they had a girl, who was called Melody. Like in most families, Hermes became a Mama's little warrior and Melody became a Daddy's little girl. Many years later, Amy died and Zoisite followed her a month later.  
  
Raye/Jedite: Not a week after the birth of Hermes, Raye gave birth to a little girl, who was named Coral, for her eyes, as they were the color of sea coral. Four years later, she gave birth to twin boys, Aries and Chad. Raye's temper never faded as the years wore on, and Jedite was able to meet it head on. Obviously, Raye and Jedite had a happy marriage for the most part. When Jedite died, Raye lost all meaning in her life, but stayed in the land of the living for a year before she finally gave up completely.  
  
Lita/Nephlite: One month after the birth of Coral, twins Hera and Elora came into the world for Nephlite and Lita. They were the only two children they had, but the two girls were spoiled shamelessly by their parents. When the twins turned seventeen, Nephlite was killed in a shuttle crash, causing Lita to withdraw from her public life. She followed him after five years.  
  
Corrine/Nerissa: These two never married, but they did adopt a three little triplet infants, naming them Ariel, Terra, and Triton. Though they were adopted, at the time of Corrine and Nerissa's death, they were named heir to the planets Uranus and Neptune. Still, the two best friends lived long and healthy lives, outliving all of the Sailors, except Pluto of course.  
  
Celia (Pluto): A year after the marriages of the four Inner Sailors, Celia married Duke John Patterson. Despite her larger life span, she was determined to have a family. Eventually they had a son named Hades. Twenty-one years later, John died from cancer and Celia returned to the Gate of Time to resume her duties, leaving her son as the Prince of Pluto. She was never heard from again for a long time.  
  
Hotaru: The youngest Sailor married five years after the marriage of the Inner Sailors to Captain Harold Malachi. A year later, they had a little girl, who was named Miranda. Hotaru, who had never been physically healthy, died ten years later, the first Sailor to die. She was sorely missed by all, especially by Rini.  
  
As for Serenity and Darien, over the years, they had two more children, a son and then another daughter. Though Darien was proud of his other two children, Rini and Endymion, and loved them dearly, little Cassandra gripped his heart in her tiny hand the first time he looked down and saw his wife's smile and eyes. The years were good to them, but their later years were etched in sorrow. Endymion died in a boating accident when he turned eighteen. Despite this, Serenity and Darien survived. Many years later, Serenity fell ill and was bedridden for nine months. Darien stayed beside her at all times. One morning, Rini and Cassandra entered the room and found her mother lying against the pillows with a contented look upon her face, and her father's head resting on her hand, a smile on his face as well.  
  
  
  
  
  
The book slowly closed. It lay in the ruins of an old castle, the location unknown. The book was old and thinly worn from continuous use. Despite the way it looked, inside was the best story of all time. There was no one left alive to know who wrote such a beautiful tale, if that is even what it was. Even so, it was the most precious object any family could ever own. It was the story of happiness, despair, and hope. Hope of love returning, even after thousands of years, despair that a dear friend would be lost forever, and happiness when everything turned out alright. In the end, all that mattered was that they basically lived happily ever after, even in the midst of unbearable sorrow...  
  
  
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG! IT'S FINISHED! Yay! I can't believe it! I originally worked on it for about 3 months, then I recently did a bunch of revisions on it! Did anyone besides me enjoy it? Tell me in a review please! I would really like to know people's opinion!   
  
Arigato!  
*!*Sailor Memory, Scout of History*!* 


End file.
